Gov. Jay Inslee Becomes Third Major Democrat To Drop Out Of Presidential Race

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced on Wednesday night that he will be withdrawing his name from the 2020 Democratic primary race.

He announced the decision on The Rachel Maddow Show, making him the third major Democratic candidate to drop out of the race, following Eric Swalwell and John Hickenlooper.

According to NBC News, Inslee’s “lack of qualifying polls would likely have kept him from the debate stage” next month, even though he did reach the 130,000 donation threshold.

“It’s become clear that I’m not going to be carrying the ball. I’m not going to be the president, so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race,” Inslee told Maddow. “I believe we are going to have a candidate to fight this battle.”

It’s become clear that I’m not going to be carrying the ball. I’m not going to be the president, so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race. I’ve been fighting climate change for 25 years, and I’ve never been so confident of the ability of America now to reach critical mass to move the ball. I believe we are going to have a candidate to fight this battle. I’m inspired in the people I’ve met across the country, the young people in the sunrise movement, the climate strikers, these people have given me confidence we can move ahead. So I’m not going to be carrying the ball, but we’re going to make sure somebody is.

Fellow Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter shortly after Inslee’s announcement to thank the Washington governor and commit to taking bold action on climate change.

Thank you @JayInslee for fighting every day to make sure that climate change remains a primary focus of this election. Climate change is real and it’s a crisis—and I will keep fighting alongside you to take bold action before it is too late.

Inslee promises to support the eventual Democratic nominee

Inslee would not endorse a candidate on Wednesday night, but he made one thing clear: He will support the eventual Democratic nominee, no matter who ends up carrying the party’s torch.

On Inslee’s signature issue of climate change, Donald Trump has been nothing short of a disaster over the past two and a half years, rolling back environmental protections, withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and advocating for the fossil fuel interests that bankrolled his campaign.

No matter who the Democratic nominee ends up being, they will be far better on climate change than Donald Trump.

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.